Abney & Keshet (2025): Plural Intensional Presuppositional semantics #
The paper gives PIP (Logic/PIP/) its formal definition and a compositional fragment
recasting the textbook rules of interpretation as semantic operations. Indefinites, tense
and the traces of determiners are restricted variables, a variable paired with an
assertion; FX lifts a predicate to take one, conjoining its assertion (lift);
quantifier raising inserts a summation operator labeled with the quantifier's restriction
or reference set (SA); modals and negation store their prejacent in a label through
intensional functional application (IFA). The fragment is Tree and interp over the
typed metalanguage Sem, and the paper's worked trees (47), (56), (59), (66), (93), (99)
and (121) are derived (interp_aRedDogBarked, …, interp_mostOfThemUsedIt), the last
reading the preceding sentence's labels through PA; value_aRedDogBarked checks
intersubstitutability with the paper's abbreviated form, and value_bvar_ne_var that
bracketing is not a matter of truth.
The applications are stated as PIP translations and their truth and felicity conditions
proved on scenario models (Scenario.model) at a world of evaluation w₀: the paycheck
pronoun's value follows its external variable (realize_sigma_indefOwned), (139) is
felicitous only where its first sentence is false (felicitous_shop139_iff), the bathroom
disjunction needs at most one bathroom (felicitous_bathroom143_iff), modal subordination
quantifies over the accessible worlds where a wolf enters (realize_wolfDiscourse_iff), and
a nuclear-scope presupposition is satisfied pointwise by the restriction within a sentence
and across quantificational subordination (felicitous_everyMonarchy_iff,
felicitous_discourse150a_iff). Variables of the formal system range over all pluralities,
so where the paper reads a summation variable as a world that is a hypothesis on the
assignment, and singular restricted variables carry SG as in the paper's (143); for
negation as summation over worlds the two readings come apart, and the double negation of
(138b) is false in any model with a second atom (not_realize_shop138).
References #
Equations
- AbneyKeshet2025.instDecidableEqVar x✝ y✝ = if h : x✝.ctorIdx = y✝.ctorIdx then isTrue ⋯ else isFalse ⋯
Equations
- AbneyKeshet2025.instDecidableEqLab x✝ y✝ = if h : x✝.ctorIdx = y✝.ctorIdx then isTrue ⋯ else isFalse ⋯
Lexical relation symbols, by number of non-world arguments: the word senses of the paper's examples.
- red : Lex 1
- dog : Lex 1
- barkEvt : Lex 1
- hasAgent : Lex 2
- hasPatient : Lex 2
- hasGoal : Lex 2
- chaseEvt : Lex 1
- cat : Lex 1
- farmer : Lex 1
- donkey : Lex 1
- ownEvt : Lex 1
- girl : Lex 1
- paper : Lex 1
- writeEvt : Lex 1
- barks : Lex 1
- loud : Lex 1
- diorama : Lex 1
- made : Lex 2
- student : Lex 1
- umbrella : Lex 1
- brought : Lex 3
- useEvt : Lex 1
- wolf : Lex 1
- enters : Lex 1
- tim : Lex 1
- eats : Lex 2
- car : Lex 1
- owns : Lex 2
- inShop : Lex 1
- bathroom : Lex 1
- here : Lex 1
- funnyPlace : Lex 1
- country : Lex 1
- monarchy : Lex 1
- monarchOf : Lex 2
- cherish : Lex 2
- fem : Lex 1
Instances For
Terms of the fragment.
Instances For
Formulas of the fragment.
Equations
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A two-place lexical predicate at the world w.
Equations
- AbneyKeshet2025.pred₂ c x y = PIP.Expr.atom (AbneyKeshet2025.Sym.lex c) (PIP.Expr.var AbneyKeshet2025.Var.w) ![x, y]
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A restricted variable: [x] = x ∧ P(x), the common denotation of the indefinite
article, tense and the trace of a determiner (50).
Equations
- AbneyKeshet2025.restricted v P = ((PIP.Expr.bvar v).eq (PIP.Expr.var v)).conj (P (PIP.Expr.var v))
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β_w = Σu acc(w, u): the modal base.
Equations
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The metalanguage and the semantic operations #
↑-lifting (84): a function whose result is a formula takes an additional assertion,
conjoined to its result; the lift is the identity on terms.
Equations
- AbneyKeshet2025.lift x_3 x✝ = x_3
- AbneyKeshet2025.lift x_3 x✝ = x_3
- AbneyKeshet2025.lift ψ x✝ = PIP.Expr.conj ψ x✝
- AbneyKeshet2025.lift f x✝ = fun (a : AbneyKeshet2025.Sem σ) => AbneyKeshet2025.lift (f a) x✝
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Intensional functional application (82): the body is stored in the label Z and the
set of worlds satisfying it is the argument.
Equations
- AbneyKeshet2025.IFA Z φ ψ = PIP.Expr.conj (φ (PIP.Expr.sigma AbneyKeshet2025.Var.w (PIP.Expr.label Z))) (PIP.Expr.labelDef Z ψ)
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Application to a restricted variable: the lifted predicate takes the index and the assertion.
Equations
- AbneyKeshet2025.FX P v φ = AbneyKeshet2025.lift (P (PIP.Expr.var v)) φ
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Predicate abstraction λxφ, reading through the labels A of the preceding
discourse before substituting for x (123).
Equations
- AbneyKeshet2025.PA A v φ t = PIP.Expr.subst v t (PIP.Formula.expand A φ)
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Summation with a label: ΣxZ where Z ≡ φ, the definition attached to the use.
Equations
- AbneyKeshet2025.SA v Z φ = PIP.Expr.sigma v ((PIP.Expr.label Z).conj (PIP.Expr.labelDef Z φ))
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The lexicon #
Terminals: lexical predicates, thematic roles, determiners, pronouns, and the defined constants (88) with their indices and labels.
- pred (c : Lex 1) : Word
- role (c : Lex 2) : Word
- every : Word
- most : Word
- a (v : Var) : Word
- tense (v : Var) : Word
- dTrace (v : Var) : Word
- dpTrace (v : Var) : Word
- core (v : Var) : Word
- ldpTrace (Z : Lab) : Word
- she : Word
- it : Word
- they : Word
- not (Z : Lab) : Word
- might (Z : Lab) : Word
- must (Z : Lab) : Word
- base : Word
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The semantic type of a terminal.
Equations
- (AbneyKeshet2025.Word.pred c).ty = AbneyKeshet2025.Ty.e.fn AbneyKeshet2025.Ty.t
- (AbneyKeshet2025.Word.role c).ty = AbneyKeshet2025.Ty.e.fn (AbneyKeshet2025.Ty.e.fn AbneyKeshet2025.Ty.t)
- AbneyKeshet2025.Word.every.ty = AbneyKeshet2025.Ty.e.fn (AbneyKeshet2025.Ty.e.fn AbneyKeshet2025.Ty.t)
- AbneyKeshet2025.Word.most.ty = AbneyKeshet2025.Ty.e.fn (AbneyKeshet2025.Ty.e.fn AbneyKeshet2025.Ty.t)
- (AbneyKeshet2025.Word.a v).ty = (AbneyKeshet2025.Ty.e.fn AbneyKeshet2025.Ty.t).fn AbneyKeshet2025.Ty.t
- (AbneyKeshet2025.Word.tense v).ty = (AbneyKeshet2025.Ty.e.fn AbneyKeshet2025.Ty.t).fn AbneyKeshet2025.Ty.t
- (AbneyKeshet2025.Word.dTrace v).ty = (AbneyKeshet2025.Ty.e.fn AbneyKeshet2025.Ty.t).fn AbneyKeshet2025.Ty.t
- (AbneyKeshet2025.Word.dpTrace v).ty = AbneyKeshet2025.Ty.e
- (AbneyKeshet2025.Word.core v).ty = AbneyKeshet2025.Ty.e
- (AbneyKeshet2025.Word.ldpTrace Z).ty = AbneyKeshet2025.Ty.t
- AbneyKeshet2025.Word.she.ty = AbneyKeshet2025.Ty.e.fn AbneyKeshet2025.Ty.e
- AbneyKeshet2025.Word.it.ty = AbneyKeshet2025.Ty.e.fn AbneyKeshet2025.Ty.e
- AbneyKeshet2025.Word.they.ty = AbneyKeshet2025.Ty.e.fn AbneyKeshet2025.Ty.e
- (AbneyKeshet2025.Word.not Z).ty = AbneyKeshet2025.Ty.s.fn AbneyKeshet2025.Ty.t
- (AbneyKeshet2025.Word.might Z).ty = AbneyKeshet2025.Ty.s.fn (AbneyKeshet2025.Ty.s.fn AbneyKeshet2025.Ty.t)
- (AbneyKeshet2025.Word.must Z).ty = AbneyKeshet2025.Ty.s.fn (AbneyKeshet2025.Ty.s.fn AbneyKeshet2025.Ty.t)
- AbneyKeshet2025.Word.base.ty = AbneyKeshet2025.Ty.s
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The meaning of a terminal (87)–(88): a thematic role λxλe(HAS-ROLE(e, x)), EVERY as
inclusion, the restricted variables A_x, T_x, D-T_x, the simple variables DP-T_x
and E_x, the label of a labeled trace, pronouns λz(z|Q(z)), negation λψ(w ∉ ψ), the
modals as relations to the modal base, and the base β_w.
Equations
- (AbneyKeshet2025.Word.pred c).sem = fun (a : AbneyKeshet2025.Sem AbneyKeshet2025.Ty.e) => AbneyKeshet2025.pred₁ c a
- (AbneyKeshet2025.Word.role c).sem = fun (a e : AbneyKeshet2025.Sem AbneyKeshet2025.Ty.e) => AbneyKeshet2025.pred₂ c e a
- AbneyKeshet2025.Word.every.sem = fun (a b : AbneyKeshet2025.Sem AbneyKeshet2025.Ty.e) => PIP.Expr.subset a b
- AbneyKeshet2025.Word.most.sem = fun (a b : AbneyKeshet2025.Sem AbneyKeshet2025.Ty.e) => PIP.Expr.atom AbneyKeshet2025.Sym.most (PIP.Expr.var AbneyKeshet2025.Var.w) ![a, b]
- (AbneyKeshet2025.Word.a v).sem = AbneyKeshet2025.restricted v
- (AbneyKeshet2025.Word.tense v).sem = AbneyKeshet2025.restricted v
- (AbneyKeshet2025.Word.dTrace v).sem = AbneyKeshet2025.restricted v
- (AbneyKeshet2025.Word.dpTrace v).sem = PIP.Expr.var v
- (AbneyKeshet2025.Word.core v).sem = PIP.Expr.var v
- (AbneyKeshet2025.Word.ldpTrace Z).sem = PIP.Expr.label Z
- AbneyKeshet2025.Word.she.sem = fun (z : AbneyKeshet2025.Sem AbneyKeshet2025.Ty.e) => PIP.Expr.presup z (PIP.Expr.conj (AbneyKeshet2025.pred₁ AbneyKeshet2025.Lex.fem z) (PIP.Expr.sg z))
- AbneyKeshet2025.Word.it.sem = fun (z : AbneyKeshet2025.Sem AbneyKeshet2025.Ty.e) => PIP.Expr.presup z (PIP.Expr.sg z)
- AbneyKeshet2025.Word.they.sem = fun (z : AbneyKeshet2025.Sem AbneyKeshet2025.Ty.e) => PIP.Expr.presup z (PIP.Expr.pl z)
- (AbneyKeshet2025.Word.not Z).sem = fun (ψ : AbneyKeshet2025.Sem AbneyKeshet2025.Ty.s) => ((PIP.Expr.var AbneyKeshet2025.Var.w).mem ψ).neg
- (AbneyKeshet2025.Word.might Z).sem = fun (β ψ : AbneyKeshet2025.Sem AbneyKeshet2025.Ty.s) => PIP.Formula.some_ β ψ
- (AbneyKeshet2025.Word.must Z).sem = fun (β ψ : AbneyKeshet2025.Sem AbneyKeshet2025.Ty.s) => PIP.Expr.subset β ψ
- AbneyKeshet2025.Word.base.sem = AbneyKeshet2025.modalBase
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Trees and their interpretation #
An LF tree annotated with the semantic operation at each node (86), with the index of a restricted variable and the label of a summation or intensional operator as data.
- lex (α : Word) : Tree α.ty
- nn {τ : Ty} (β : Tree τ) : Tree τ
- fa {σ τ : Ty} (β : Tree (σ.fn τ)) (γ : Tree σ) : Tree τ
- af {σ τ : Ty} (β : Tree σ) (γ : Tree (σ.fn τ)) : Tree τ
- ifa (Z : Lab) (β : Tree (Ty.s.fn Ty.t)) (γ : Tree Ty.t) : Tree Ty.t
- fx {τ : Ty} (β : Tree (Ty.e.fn τ)) (v : Var) (γ : Tree Ty.t) : Tree τ
- pm (β γ : Tree (Ty.e.fn Ty.t)) : Tree (Ty.e.fn Ty.t)
- pa (v : Var) (γ : Tree Ty.t) : Tree (Ty.e.fn Ty.t)
- sa (v : Var) (Z : Lab) (γ : Tree Ty.t) : Tree Ty.e
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The meaning of a tree, relative to the label definitions A of the preceding
discourse.
Equations
- AbneyKeshet2025.interp A (AbneyKeshet2025.Tree.lex α) = α.sem
- AbneyKeshet2025.interp A β.nn = AbneyKeshet2025.NN (AbneyKeshet2025.interp A β)
- AbneyKeshet2025.interp A (β.fa γ) = AbneyKeshet2025.FA (AbneyKeshet2025.interp A β) (AbneyKeshet2025.interp A γ)
- AbneyKeshet2025.interp A (β.af γ) = AbneyKeshet2025.AF (AbneyKeshet2025.interp A β) (AbneyKeshet2025.interp A γ)
- AbneyKeshet2025.interp A (AbneyKeshet2025.Tree.ifa Z β γ) = AbneyKeshet2025.IFA Z (AbneyKeshet2025.interp A β) (AbneyKeshet2025.interp A γ)
- AbneyKeshet2025.interp A (β.fx v γ) = AbneyKeshet2025.FX (AbneyKeshet2025.interp A β) v (AbneyKeshet2025.interp A γ)
- AbneyKeshet2025.interp A (β.pm γ) = AbneyKeshet2025.PM (AbneyKeshet2025.interp A β) (AbneyKeshet2025.interp A γ)
- AbneyKeshet2025.interp A (AbneyKeshet2025.Tree.pa v γ) = AbneyKeshet2025.PA A v (AbneyKeshet2025.interp A γ)
- AbneyKeshet2025.interp A (AbneyKeshet2025.Tree.sa v Z γ) = AbneyKeshet2025.SA v Z (AbneyKeshet2025.interp A γ)
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The paper's trees #
(47): "a red dog barked".
Equations
- One or more equations did not get rendered due to their size.
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(91)–(92): the meaning of (47).
(92) abbreviated: HAS-AGENT(b, d) ∧ RED([d]) ∧ DOG(d) ∧ BARK-EVT([b]).
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The meaning of (47) is intersubstitutable with its abbreviation (92): same truth, felicity, local variables and label definitions.
DOG([d]) and DOG(d) are truth-equivalent.
DOG([d]) and DOG(d) are not intersubstitutable: their local variables differ.
(57): λe(CHASE-EVT(e) ∧ HAS-PATIENT(e, c) ∧ CAT([c])).
(65): FARMER([x]) ∧ DONKEY([d]) ∧ OWNS([o], x, d), the relative pronoun's variable
replaced by the indefinite's index.
(66): "every girl wrote a paper", quantifier raising leaving a restricted-variable trace in the restriction and a labeled trace in the scope.
Equations
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(79): EVERY(ΣgG, ΣgP) where G ≡ GIRL([g]), P ≡ (G ∧ PAPER([p]) ∧ WROTE([u], g, p)).
(93): the simple pronoun "she_x".
Equations
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(94c): x | FEM(x) ∧ SG(x).
(99): the summation pronoun "they^P_p" after (66).
Equations
- One or more equations did not get rendered due to their size.
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(100): (ΣpP) | PL(ΣpP), the label Y of the pronoun's summation defined as P.
(121): "Most of them used it", the subordinate quantifier's restriction a labeled trace
of the preceding sentence abstracted by PA (122).
Equations
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(128): MOST(Σs′M, Σs′U) with M the definition of B under s ↦ s′ (127) and
U ≡ M ∧ USED([e], s′, u).
Scenarios #
The lexical relations of a scenario on tuples of atoms: true of entities only.
Equations
- S.rel c x✝ as = ∃ (e : E), as 0 = Sum.inr e ∧ S.rel₁ c x✝ e
- S.rel c x✝ as = ∃ (e : E) (e' : E), as 0 = Sum.inr e ∧ as 1 = Sum.inr e' ∧ S.rel₂ c x✝ e e'
- S.rel c x✝ as = ∃ (e : E) (e' : E) (e'' : E), as 0 = Sum.inr e ∧ as 1 = Sum.inr e' ∧ as 2 = Sum.inr e'' ∧ S.rel₃ c x✝ e e' e''
- S.rel x_4 x✝ x_6 = False
- S.rel x_4 x✝ x_6 = False
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The model of a scenario: lexical symbols distributively over pluralities of entities,
accessibility between worlds, and most as the scenario's proportional relation.
Equations
- One or more equations did not get rendered due to their size.
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w ∈ τ at the world w₀.
Singular indefinites #
SG(v) ∧ c_w([v]): a singular indefinite [v] of kind c.
Equations
- AbneyKeshet2025.sgIndef c v = (PIP.Expr.var v).sg.conj (AbneyKeshet2025.pred₁ c (PIP.Expr.bvar v))
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SG(v) ∧ c_w([v]) ∧ c′_w(v): a singular indefinite with a further predicate.
Equations
- AbneyKeshet2025.sgIndefWith c c' v = PIP.Expr.conj (AbneyKeshet2025.sgIndef c v) (AbneyKeshet2025.pred₁ c' (PIP.Expr.var v))
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The summation over a singular indefinite at w₀: the entities of its kind there.
Paycheck pronouns and negation #
c₁_w([y]) ∧ c₂_w(x, y): an indefinite [y] of kind c₁ standing in the relation c₂
to the external variable x — D ≡ DIORAMA([d]) ∧ MADE(x, d) (112), O ≡ CAR([c]) ∧ OWNS(x, c) (137).
Equations
- AbneyKeshet2025.indefOwned c₁ c₂ y = PIP.Expr.conj (AbneyKeshet2025.pred₁ c₁ (PIP.Expr.bvar y)) (AbneyKeshet2025.pred₂ c₂ (PIP.Expr.var AbneyKeshet2025.Var.x) (PIP.Expr.var y))
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The summation over the indefinite takes its value from the external variable: the
paycheck pronoun ΣdD denotes the dioramas made by whatever x is (112).
The summation over worlds of the indefinite's description: the worlds where x has
such a thing.
(139): "He doesn't own a car. #It is in the shop."
Equations
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(138b): "It's not like he doesn't own a car. It is just in the shop."
Equations
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(139) is felicitous at w₀ iff he owns a car there — iff its first sentence is false.
The double negation of (138b) sums w over all pluralities, of which every non-world
fails w ∈ ΣwO; so w ∉ Σw(w ∉ ΣwO) is false at any world once the model has a second
atom.
Negation and disjunction #
(143): "Either there is no bathroom here or it's in a funny place",
(w ∉ ΣwX ∨ FUNNY-PLACE_w(ΣbX | SG(ΣbX))) ∧ X ≡ ….
Equations
- One or more equations did not get rendered due to their size.
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(145): the bathroom disjunction is felicitous at w₀ iff, if there is a bathroom here,
there is exactly one.
Modal subordination #
W ≡ WOLF_w([x]) ∧ ENTERS_w(x) (133a).
Equations
- One or more equations did not get rendered due to their size.
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(133): "A wolf might enter. It would eat Tasty Tim first.", MIGHT(β_w, ΣwW) ∧ MUST(β_w, ΣwW, ΣwE) (129) with the second modal's restriction the first's nuclear scope.
Equations
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Equations
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(133) at w₀: some accessible world has a wolf entering, and in every accessible
world where a wolf enters, a wolf that enters eats Tim.
Summation pronouns #
(104): the pronoun denotes the sum of the barking dogs.
Presupposition under quantification #
Z ∧ CHERISH_w(m, ΣkK | SG(ΣkK)): the nuclear scope of "cherishes its monarch" over the
restriction Z, the pronoun's presupposition to be satisfied by Z.
Equations
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(150a): "Every European country was a monarchy. Most of them cherished their monarchs.",
the subordinate quantifier's restriction the first sentence's reference-set label M.
Equations
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The nuclear scope with the restriction and the pronoun's label expanded.
Equations
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Equations
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"Its monarch" at a singular m₀: the monarchs of m₀.
Felicity of the nuclear-scope summation over a restriction ρ true exactly of the
singular m satisfying Q: the pronoun's presupposition, for each of them.
(146a) is felicitous at w₀ iff every monarchy there has exactly one monarch: the
restriction satisfies the presupposition of the nuclear scope pointwise.
(150a) is felicitous at w₀ iff, granted its first sentence, every country that is a
monarchy has exactly one monarch: the label incorporated into the subordinate quantifier's
restriction satisfies the presupposition of its nuclear scope.